Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an image processing apparatus that conducts short-range wireless communication with an information terminal and a method for controlling the image processing apparatus, as well as a storage medium that non-transitorily stores a program executed by the image processing apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, some terminal devices such as smart phones and tablet terminals are equipped with a function that conducts communication within a short range, for example, near field communication (NFC). This allows a user to conduct data communication using such a terminal device by waving the terminal device over a predetermined position of another electronic device. As one example of the above-mentioned “another electronic device”, an image processing apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral (MFP) may be employed. The image processing apparatus receives an operation mainly through an operation panel placed on a front face of the apparatus. Thus, in the image processing apparatus, the above-mentioned “predetermined position” for conducting short-range wireless communication with the terminal device (hereinafter also referred to as the “touch area”) is often placed near the operation panel.
In the image processing apparatus, when the user intends to wave the terminal device over the touch area, the user's hand holding the terminal device may touch an operation unit despite the user's intention. Under such circumstances, the image processing apparatus may execute an operation unintended by the user due to operation information unintended by the user being input to the image processing apparatus. In the image processing apparatus, measures to prevent the user's unintended operation from occurring can be provided if an unintended approach of the user's hand can be sensed in advance.
To sense an unintended approach of the user's hand and provide measures therefor, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-235468, for example, discloses a mobile terminal equipped with sensors such as a pair of tactile sensors placed on opposite sides of a display device. This mobile terminal detects a range of contact with a human body using these sensors, and invalidates input to a region corresponding to the detected range.
In the mobile terminal disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-235468, the user grips a housing of the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can thus sense an approach of the user's hand with the sensors as described above.
In the image processing apparatus described above, however, the user “waves” the terminal device over the touch area, and is unlikely to “grip” the operation panel. Thus, even if the image processing apparatus is simply provided with the sensors as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-235468, it would be difficult to sense that the user holding the terminal device has approached and contacted the operation panel despite the user's intention, in advance of the contact.
The present disclosure was conceived in view of the foregoing actual circumstances, and aims to avoid operation of the image processing apparatus in response to a user's unintended contact.